The Bocao Food Fest is a gastronomic festival where you can taste the local specialties of Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic.
Dozens of booths are installed in the same outdoor enclosure, forming a route where you can taste typical dishes, special menus and international proposals.
In addition to delicious food, at the event you can enjoy entertainment and live performances that make it a wonderful experience to immerse yourself in Dominican culture.
An occasion like this is perfect to tell you about the details of this festival that will exalt your senses, as well as to propose 8 typical dishes to try at the Bocao Food Fest.
What is the Bocao Food Fest?
The Bocao Food Fest is a multi-day food festival that has been held since 2016 in Santo Domingo, in the Dominican Republic.
Its objective is to promote local gastronomy and culture, creating unforgettable experiences where there is also room for international cuisine.
Over the years, this gastronomic event has been held in different locations such as the Malecón or promenade, or in the National Botanical Garden, a very spacious place.
In any case, in the area where it is held, there are dozens of booths that occupy restaurants and bars in the city to offer their specialties to visitors.
In addition to delighting you with delicious recipes and special menus, you can enjoy live music performances, among other entertainment.
When is the Bocao Food Fest?
Each year the Boca Food Fest is held on different dates.
For example, in 2023 it was held from December 1-3, but in 2017 the local specialty booths were set up from July 22-23.
To know the date of this festival with total certainty, it is essential to consult the official Bocao Food Fest website.
8 typical dishes to try at the Bocao Food Fest
You can take advantage of the Bocao Food Fest to try some of the tastiest and most representative dishes of Dominican gastronomy, or take note of our suggestions to try them in a restaurant in the country. Take note!
Dominican Mofongo
Dominican mofongo is a local dish based on fried and mashed green plantains mixed with garlic paste and chicharrón, which is obtained by melting pork fat.
It is usually served with beef broth, although you can find it with chicken broth, and with vegetable broth in its vegan version, in which the pork rinds are omitted.
Old clothes
Ropa vieja is a recipe prepared with shredded meat, usually from the cow’s brisket, and seasoned with tomatoes, onions, red and green peppers, garlic, bay leaves and other seasonings and aromatic herbs.
It is usually served with fried ripe plantains and rice or black beans.
Dominican flag
La bandera is considered the Dominican national dish where the protagonists are rice, beans and meat.
Dominicans consider this recipe a metaphorical representation of their flag, where the beans are red, the rice is white, and the meat is the third color, with a little imagination, because it is blue.
Governor’s Tacos
Tacos gobernador are two pancakes, one corn and one wheat, which are filled with fried shrimp, bell peppers, grilled cheese and bacon (pancetta).
It can be served with avocados or salad, for example.
Dominican Picaderas
Dominican picaderas are typical fried foods that serve as appetizers and are a must at a party, among which the following stand out:
- Sheet cakes. They are the Dominican equivalent of Mexican tamales.
- Dominican kibbeh or quipe. It is an Arab recipe of wheat and beef, adapted to the Dominican Republic’s gastronomy, and resembles a croquette.
- Yaniqueques. They are light and crispy fried pancakes made of wheat flour and salt.
- Empanaditas and cassava dumplings. Small empanadas and fritters.
- Tostones. These are pieces of green plantain, crushed and fried, which you will find in practically every restaurant.
Sancocho
Dominican sancocho is a stew of various types of meat and vegetables.
It usually includes chicken, pork and beef that is cooked for hours, to which pumpkin and carrot puree is added.
It may contain yucca, corn and plantain, and is usually accompanied by white rice.
Mangú
The mangú is a typical dish of the Dominican Republic that is prepared with green plantains boiled for 10 minutes and mashed with butter. Fried onion rings are added to the mixture.
It is a very simple recipe, but it will surprise you with its flavor.
Three milks
Finally, we would like to propose this dessert that is not exclusive to the Dominican Republic, but is very popular in the country.
It is a very spongy cake that is dipped in dulce de leche and covered with cream or meringue.
As you can see, traveling to the Dominican Republic is to immerse yourself in a world of sensations that you can discover with Enjoy Travel Group.
Contact us and we will start working on your tailor-made trip to the jewel of the Caribbean.
